Ed2Go is NOT Higher Education

For several years now I have railed against the use of ed2go courses when they are affiliated with a college or university. During my time on the Minnesota Online Council I was especially adamant against the listing of the ed2go courses at the MnOnline website as though they were endorsed courses from a member institution. There is no way that I think the brand should be diluted by including courses like this in our offerings. Why not? Glad you asked.

NOTE: most of this post was written after I discovered that my own school had recently signed on with ed2go. This saddens me to no end since I spent the past five y
ears railing against the use of ed2go in Minnesota Online and our colleges. Our VP in that division assures me that they will do what they can to not harm our reputation for quality online offerings - and I believe that, I'm just not sure how much of that we can actually control. I waited a couple of weeks before posting this to see whether my opinion would be changed by other people around here - and now I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen.

ed2go courses are what they are. They aren't what they aren't. They aren't college courses. They aren't OUR courses. They aren't taught by our faculty. They aren't developed and vetted by us. Their web services aren't supported by us. The assessments aren't created and evaluated by us. Student successes (and failures) aren't determined by us. (etc., etc.!!)

So why the heck do we brand these as OUR courses? Why are we saying that we have this online instruction center (below) when it isn't true? We do have an e-Campus at Lake Superior College, where students and faculty can come for help, but it has nothing to do with these ed2go courses. We have worked very hard over the past 11 years to build a stellar reputation for our online offerings at LSC. Now our reputation also depends on a profit-seeking company that has no connection to us whatsoever and over whom we have no control.

And why would Minnesota Online want courses like the one shown below listed on the MnOnline website?


That's an ed2go course, and it's probably not the only one that is being called a MnOnline course.

And now for the best part(s). Don't you just love testimonials? How about when the same testimonial is used for each of the first five schools (all in MnSCU) that I looked at on the ed2go website. Laura really gets around since it appears as though she takes classes from almost all of the schools.

Final point. Notice how the graphic above mentions accreditation? Take a look at this next one, it's even better.

Doesn't this strike you as more than just a little bit odd? It definitely strikes me that way. Schools are touting their accreditation status while promoting courses that they have absolutely nothing to do with (except collecting a little bit of revenue). Their faculty don't teach the courses or develop the curriculum, their employees most often are oblivious that these courses are even being offered, and yet somehow this seems to be the time to hype up the school's accreditation. Seems to me that this type of offering completely flies in the face of accreditation. Isn't it ed2go that needs to be accredited to do this stuff? I'm just asking.

Of course I can already hear the excuses for this. "Well, our accreditation doesn't cover continuing education and non-credit offerings, just our degree programs and such." Point #1: then why are schools hyping their accreditation status on a page that deals with continuing education? Point #2: Maybe our accreditation isn't affected, but our reputation is.

I don’t care whether 1,500 other schools are using Ed2Go and telling the world that people are taking courses from “their schools.” That only tells me that administrators at 1,500 schools are making very poor decisions and are willing to stake their reputations on something over which they have no control.

Okay, one more that I just couldn't resist. I have (should I say "had?") lots of friends at North Hennepin CC. But it's just downright embarrassing when their ed2go site says the following: "North Hennepin Community College is accredited by MnSCU." (Ummh, NO, they're not!) In fact, I think this whole scam is a major embarrassment, but apparently I'm the only who's embarrassed by it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I am curious about this company, as I was on the verge of signing up for an Access 2007 course. However, I forgot to save a link to the course, googled the instructor and discovered he taught the same course at several community colleges with similar Ed2Go programs. Furthermore, the same course was offered in different places with fees ranging from $55 to $109. I attempted to register, but was led to a link that asked me to call, pay in person, or fax my payment information. I was surpised to learn that there was no online payment method, and that the mailing address was a P.O. box number.

After having read your position, I will steer clear of the course altogether. Thanks for giving me pause to think. You probably saved me from an bad experience.
Anonymous said…
Excuse me, but I have taken courses from Ed2go and have a number of comments to make in response to the initial comment and the "anonymous said" comment.
1. To "anonymous said" payment online is the preferred method. You locate a school you wish to take the course from (usually by putting in the name of the institution, or a zip code) then you go to the institutions site. Each institution handles receiving the payment, and signing you up for courses. Not only do they have specific phone numbers and people to talk to,at most schools,but the e-mails to those contacts.

I have taken two courses so far and had no difficulty at all.

2. Most of the courses are NOT listed as giving college credit. There are a few that give certificates, and Continuing Education Credit.

A certificate is just that, not a degree. And their continuing education credits ARE approved by a national approval agency, that is accepted by most states.

EACH area such as social work, nursing, and so on has it's own requirements for continuing education credit, and requirements of an approval agency. MY state lists the approving agency provided by Ed2go, as one that IS accepted.

3. The professors qualifications are clearly spelled out for each course. For the most part the professors ARE outstandingly qualified. UNLIKE many community colleges and universities.

4.I have TWO degrees from two different universities, and have attended 5 different colleges or universities. So I am very familiar with the quality of "in school" versus "online" instruction,and so far, both of my online courses with Ed2go have given me more bang for less buck and A GREAT DEAL more interaction with the professors.

5. The sylabus is available online for any student to review what the course will teach and see if it will meet their needs.

6. The testimonials. I have written a few, and one of mine has been used. It was ONLY used for the course I wrote it for, because it was specific to that course. However, if I wrote one that said, "hey this is an easy way to get up to speed on many topics for not much money" then I would expect that this testimonial could be used as a "general" testimonial for Ed2go appropriately.

7. I have looked at the pricing at different schools offering the classes. I have noticed a slight difference, and suppose you are paying for the "prestige" of the school. For instance Loyolla Marymount University in Los Angeles seems to charge more, BUT one tends to think of their prestige as superior to a community college ...though the SAME professors teach the same course. By the way, I have taken the same course, with the same book, at community colleges and universities, and the content is not different, the tests may be, the teachers are (though Ed2go's are superior)...but in the end, it is the ammount of work a student is willing to put in to learning something that determines what they will get out of ANY course.

Finnally, I noted a definite emotional content to the original message "Ed2Go is NOT Higher Education". ((by the way Ed2go does not pretend to be "higher" education, just an alternate method to assist people to learn, with perhaps a sheet of paper (IF you pass the post test, and complete the assignments)to demonstrate to others you have some familiarity with the subject.))So, if my ENTIRE response is NOT posted as a rebuttal, I will NOT be surprised; because an emotional attack does not appreciate an objective one. j
Anonymous said…
Ed2go is a great way to learn. I've taken classes from writing to html. After html 1 and 2 I put together a website using notepad. Then I took dreamweaver and update it easily. These classes have helped my career.
Anonymous said…
Ed2Go courses are a great alternative if you dont have the time to go back to college, are afraid, cant quite afford it or just need some brushing up. You are at home in a safe environment and the instructors are the best in their fields. Case and point, in the grant writing course offered on all Ed2Go courses, the instructor is non other than Ms. Beverly Browning. Not only is she the most sought after Grant writer in the NATION...she is the author of several grant writing books, including "Grant writing for Dummies." I have personally attended several of her seminars (that cost much more than these courses) and secured over $1 million in funding for several local municipalities and non-profits.

In addition, the computer classes are 2nd to none.

It may not be higher education, but it is an informative, hands on education...nontheless.
Anonymous said…
I took a couple of ed2go classes a couple of years ago with mixed results. The first was tech. writing, I didn't land a job but it helped me to build a part-time freelance writing career. Around the same time, I took the Magazine Writing class and I got more leads and resources from the library - and that was free!

The last class I took was earlier this year. The Admin. Asst. class is good if you want to run a small business that will interact with different types of clients (i.e. lawyers, logistics people and other occupations that are realistically boring). Otherwise, with the exception of the accounting module, the rest had little to do with lesson plan. There were these long-winded editorials that I once challenged because I felt it was incorrect and based on nothing. They took offense to that and so far I see they did not return to my local community college. I would not recommend ed2go for major career changes. Just to be fair.
Anonymous said…
Welcome to the future. It amazes me how people can call themsleves educators and want to keep us all in the dark ages. Distance learning is the here and now and will be the primary weapon in holding educational costs in check in the future. Ed2Go has been a pioneer in this area while many educators have bascially been complaining about having to learn new technology. This elite attitude that says only people with doctorate degrees who have never worked in the real world and call themselves educators are but another reason of the failing economy. Thank you ed2go and other companies like your for providing courses through a system that otherwise would not be available and shame on those of you who would hold the rest of us back so that you can stay in control.
Anonymous said…
I live in Brazil and I LOVE ED2GO courses! Your speech sounds like of a person who can not compete with ed2go (but whishes to)thus prefers to attack the company´s reputation. Pretty sad!
Anonymous said…
Don't know where you've been and I can't change your mind once it's made up but...

The thing is that I'm a lifelong learner and have taken classes at many accredited schools both in traditional "on-the-ground" classrooms and through online distance learning. The fact is, and some traditional "highbrows" won't approve but Ed2Go is good to go. Yes, I am taking them through local community colleges because they are actually cheaper than the online prices.

I've read a few comments about Ed2Go classes not meeting people's expectations. I can tell you that I have attended many reputable schools accredited by the U.S. Board of Education that genuinely stunk!

I agree that Ed2Go is not higher education. It isn't. It is broader education. I've taken two courses, one; the A to Z in Grantwriting and the other; Research Methods for Writers and I learned quite a bit from them. Both will be valuable to my future and I plan to take still more classes. Why?

They were as good as many of my other online classes and I could find at Ed2Go classes, I can't get at a regular CC. So for those that would let a little challenge like "no Online payment" get in your way, then thanks for leaving a little more room for the rest of us.
Anonymous said…
Formal education as we know it will evolve into an online format in generations to come. The only purpose of physical campuses will be that of testing centers and jogging trails. And as far as Ed2go, it is a great way to jump start your personal learning quest, and to say it "is not higher education," is backward and pompous thinking, prevalant in many to today's universities, which cater to overpaid professors who think they are superior because they passed a bunch of useless tests administered by their own kind. As a college graduate (with good grades) of a major northeastern university, I have taken several Ed2go classes, and I learned more in one week than an entire semester of traditional college learning, only without the superficial status and grossly inflated tuition an fees. Professors who feel they must undermine Ed2Go feel threatened by an evolving educational system that in the future will do away with these obsolete human beings that we call "intellectuals."
Unknown said…
I am a lawyer from Europe!
I took the course Winning strategy for the courtroom and I believe it is amazing!
Enough information for the money I spent! I do not expect to become a Lawyer in US but now I understand many things seen on TV!
anonymous said…
Why offer Ed2Go courses? Revenue stream, maybe? Community outreach, possibly?

I have written and taught three Ed2Go software courses. I have also taken a number of their software courses. Having tried other online sources for distance learning, I always end up returning to Ed2Go's offerings.

The courses are aimed at general-population adults. They are intended as continuing education courses, not college level courses. And college credit is not offered.

As another respondent pointed out, the instructors are carefully vetted, and must demonstrate expertise and accomplishment in the field.

Admittedly, some of their older offerings are pretty pathetic, but they still seem to enjoy a following. (If a course's enrollment declines to a certain level, Ed2Go drops the course from their catalog.)

In the meantime Ed2Go continues to refine their strict course-structure requirements and writing guidelines for authors. They also maintain strictly enforced standards for online instruction.

It is noteworthy that a few years ago, when the international textbook publisher Thomson Learning (Cengage) was in the market for an online adult-ed publisher to partner with, they chose Ed2Go.
onlineeducation said…
I live in Uzbekistan. And we have no Ed2go courses, and iam happy :)
Anonymous said…
I have taken several 2d2go classes that I found through my local community colleges. I have found them to be excellent. I was never under the impression that I would receive credit for them and therefore did not take them for that purpose. I have taken classes on photography, writing, how to start a consulting business and more. The quality of instruction was outstanding and completely focused on real-life application. I will continue to take, and recommend, their courses and appreciate that my local colleges offer them.
Anonymous said…
I just finished 2 edtogo classes and I thought they were great. I really learned a lot and it was convenient. I plan to take more. I simply don't understand why anyone would be against them. I have taken community college courses by so-called "qualified" instructors who seem to use the class as a personal forum for whatever bizarre thing they are into or the ones that read from the textbook and add nothing to it.
Anonymous said…
I am on my third class with ED2Go. My fiance' is on his second. Across the board my experience has been all positive. The instructors I have had have all responded to any questions I have had. I agree with the post above , it does not pretend to be higher education. This is a very good way for people (with no other way to go to school) to gain an edge in the career field. The tech support is good. Also if you are in need of proof of enrollment or classes ect.. the school in which is sponsoring the class, will be more than happy to send you proof. We have had a really good experience.
Anonymous said…
I am currently taking two ed2go courses, one on Photoshop, the other on Nature Photography. I'm not dissatisfied with the content, given what I paid (something like $99 each).

BUT as a UW-Madison faculty member, I got suspicious of the use of the UW-Madison logo on virtually every page, and for every course, offered by ed2go once I had registered for the site. It is quite clear that most of the courses are NOT offered by UW-Madison, yet someone who wasn't paying close attention (like me, at first) might infer otherwise.

I'm inquiring with the people at UW-Madison who should know whether they sponsor any content on the ed2go site, but my impression at the moment is that ed2go is brazenly misrepresenting their associations with brick-and-mortar institutions.
Barry Dahl said…
The UW-Madison prof directly above this post has hit on my main concern - that an Ed2Go course is being associated with an institution that otherwise has absolutely nothing to do with it. In particular, if a course is not taught by a UW faculty member, then on what grounds can it be called a UW course?

I'm amused by all the apologists who have commented here, because most of them appear to be Ed2Go drones who are here to tell us how great Ed2Go courses are. Guess what? I don't care. This post has nothing to do with whether the courses contain valuable content - it has everything to do with whether or not they are college courses as they are being branded.

That's the point - nothing else.
Anonymous said…
This past fall I took three continuing ed courses through my local college, two were provided by ed2go (a photoshop course and an excel spreedsheet course) and one was at the institution (an editing course). I feel that I got great value from each class. I did lose a day with the editing class due to heavy snow, and that instructor is now creating an online course.

I understand the branding issue that you are speaking about. I actually found the ed2go classes through my local college catalogue, so they are vetting the programs to some extent, almost as if each prof. is a visiting prof., if you will.

I chose a photoshop class that was not offered in the catalogue (after going to ed2go and seeing what they had to offer) and the college did call me to double check my choice and discuss it with me, so I feel, again, that they are vetting the Ed2Go company.
James said…
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continuing education
Ruth said…
Thanks, I found this very helpful. I was looking at an online class which I noticed as an Ed2Go offering. I've been googling around trying to figure out whether or not they're legit.

It looks like they're legit enough for what I need, namely a basic intro to the fundamentals of PHP (which I know a bit about but not in any formalized way). It won't be something I'm putting on a CV, just a skill I want to improve for a comparatively low price. I'm just looking for a training class.

I agree with the main point of your post, though. 1) talking about accreditation so much comes off a bit weird & 2) if they're not part of the school, they shouldn't pretend to be. Dunno if I'll go, I'm looking at other places too.

Anyway, thanks for the post, I'm glad they're associated enough with colleges that they're not actually a scam even if they're also not truly higher ed.
Anonymous said…
Ed2Go courses are only 24 hours; that would rule them out as a credit course, in most cases. But many community colleges give 2.4 CEU's (Continuing Education Units) if students register with the college for an Ed2Go course and pass the course (pass the final exam). These non-credit courses are then listed on student non-credit transcripts, just like any other non-credit course a student passes, whether the course is Web Design, Basic Electricity, or Photography. These courses serve a purpose, but does it really matter who teaches them?

There are plenty of vendors and publishers selling both traditional and online content-for both non-credit and credit programs. To be fair, there are plenty of publishers selling textbooks with online content, that are often the primary content students have available to them in credit undergraduate and graduate courses. If colleges shouldn't use a for-profit business like Ed2Go for online non-credit content, should colleges and universities use publisher traditional or online content not created by their instructors or professors? For fields in computers and health, could the college and university faculty really keep up with the latest changes?

I've taught credit and non-credit traditional and online courses, and have taken Ed2Go courses, and the quality often varies based on the publisher, as well as the instructor. I've taken plenty of bad as well as good non-credit traditional and online courses as well as credit undergraduate and graduate traditional and online classes. If either the instructor or content is poor, the course is often poor. But I have taken graduate online courses that had good online materials, provided by the textbook publisher, that overcame the indifference of the professor. But how often are students aware of what materials were supplied in a traditional or online class by the publisher, or by the instructor?

I'm not an advocate for Ed2Go, I could care less if the courses are offered or not-but if the need is there, someone will fill it. The question is whether colleges will rely on vendors and publishers, or have the resources to pay their faculty what it would take to develop unique materials for their traditional and online classes. Based on the attitude towards government spending, colleges will be forced to rely on vendors and publishers more and more.
Anonymous said…
My question...the course I want that is listed on my local university's website is 30 dollars more than one I found out of state. Same course. Does it matter which I sign up for in the long run? Will I be better served to have my ed2go class listed through my local university or does it even matter?
Barry Dahl said…
To Anonymous (directly above) - you can ask your local school if it matters. It is the same course. It shouldn't matter at all. They might tell you that it matters, because it matters to them as to whether they get your money or not. It would be interesting to see what they say when asked that question.
Anonymous said…
Seriously, this is the most ridiculous blog ever! I'm most disturbed by all of the university faculty members comments. All I can say is wow.... Can you so called "Professors" pls post your names next time so I can be sure never to take a class from you? First of all, Ed2go offers CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES. Anyone associated with a university should know the difference between a college credit course (such as, "math 140: Calculus 1") and a continuing education course (such as, "Everyday Math for Adults"). Second, from my experience, these Ed2go courses are listed in the continuing education section of course catalogs. There is usually a disclaimer that states no college credit will be given for these courses. Third, about the ridiculous branding issue - give me a break! Each university that signs up gets a generic website from ed2go, which I'm sure they'll have to approve before it goes live. It's no different than a store front from at Amazon, or eBay, or the generic dealer websites on cars.com or autotrader.com. I wish this was a simple case of you guys being outdated dinosaurs, but it's not. It's much worse. All I can say is wow... I don't want to call anyone a moron, but if the shoe fits....
Anonymous said…
Junior and community colleges have been offering non-credit courses taught by working professionals for years. Education To Go just took it online and offered a way for colleges and instructors to make more money from these offerings. So far as the branding, I know that Ed2Go prohibits instructors from saying that the courses are really being offered through them and also prohibits them from mentioning specific schools or policies (such as amount charged for classes) in the discussion areas, but this really is more to benefit the schools than Ed2Go because it enables them to offer a wider range of courses. The savvy students know where the courses are really coming from, however.

I wonder if instructors who get in a twist about this aren't really concerned about losing revenue for themselves.

At any rate, if quality if a concern, the marketplace will take level things out. For the time being, these courses have some credibility with some specific types of students. Take the person who was "on the verge of signing up for an Access 2007 course." How many colleges or universities offer Access courses? Most likely, this person will have to go to a private, for-profit computer software training company and probably pay a lot more than the Ed2Go course would cost.

Yes, some of the courses and some of the instructors are better than others -- but that's no different than when one is taking a traditional classroom course. I remember all too vividly a graduate philosophy course that I paid good bucks for and the instructor, who was tenured, spent most of the class sessions singing songs from Broadway musicals and rambling on about his favorite cartoon characters because he suffered from a mental illness.
Anonymous said…
Changes with this company in the past few years may be its downfall. They're currently owned primarily by investors who are interested more in the bottomline than quality of product. The new parent company has been acquiring several companies that produce online courses and tutorials. Some of those aquisitions are dubious. One in particular charges high prices for its courses ("helping" students by getting them loans from third-party finance companies) and has received several complaints with the Better Business Bureau. It appears that the parent company's answer to the problems with this company is to change its name to the more-respected Education To Go. If colleges and universities start receiving complaints about these classes, it won't take long for them to drop them.
Chris Geymayr said…
I am currently taking a java for beginners class on ed2go and am finding it to be very intuitive and easy to learn. Even from the start I never got the impression that it had accredited courses.
It did say that it was backed by my local community college but that was it.
Before I started I looked into the quality of the classes and found most comments on them to be good. So I joined and have been happy so far with the teaching. It's really broken down the information for me, even more than my college visual basic class which had a horribly boring teacher that didn't explain anything.
Programming is not easy to teach and if they have done this food with java for me then they should do fine for others as well. I'll definitely be taking more classes through them and no I'm definitely not a drone, lol. I'm a regular student.
RMM said…
Wow, you seem to have a severe inferiority complex.

I stumbled across this site because a friend of mine recommended I teach an Ed2Go course, and I wanted to see whether it is legit or some diploma mill.

I've taught at universities and community colleges for more than 10 years. I was also a Dean at a for-profit college that had internet coursework. I've also administered correspondence courses through university cooperative extension. So I have extensive experience in brick and mortar as well as alternative delivery methods.

I understand your impulsive response to protect the brand name of your university, but it sounds both snobbish and self-serving. While you CLAIM the main issue is accountability, I think we all sense the undertone that you don't consider this worthy of academic merit. Your title says "Ed2Go is NOT higher education." That says it all.

Apparently, universities and colleges see some value in extending educational opportunities beyond their ivy covered walls to non-traditional students. Many of these courses are non-credit, non-degree classes and don't claim to be otherwise.

I have seen courses for academic credit at top ranked public universities on wine tasting, the sociology of Star Trek, astrology, yoga, and tarot card reading. I have seen so-called "independent study" courses which gave academic credit for attending anti-war rallies. At UC Berkeley, students can design and teach their own courses, and participants get academic credit.

I took one course as an undergrad that was nothing less than advocacy for communes and communism. I've had teachers protected by tenure that were so badly organized and taught it was more of a distraction than a learning experience. I submit that official, for credit, university courses have little to no oversight nor is there much consideration toward academic merit. I've submitted courses for approval throug university committees, and as long as you make the proposal sound good, the committee will approve it. But once you're past that gate, there is no further review - you can alter the course substantially from the initial write up and there is no recourse, especially if you are tenured.

I'm offering no opinion on Ed2Go because I still don't know anything about it. But if your university approves of the listing, they are probably getting money for it. Instead of questioning the profit motive of Ed2Go which must meet with the approval of its customers, you should consider the profit motives of your own university. You should also consider that your own salary is inflated by taxpayer subsidies for higher education that have few to no external benefits.

You should also consider the artificial demand for your skills created by university and college core requirements. Ed2Go students take courses by choice. Many of your students take your courses because they are compulsory for their degrees.
TMinut said…
You say drones for Ed2Go are commenting, that's rude and doesn't help your point any. I took one class from Ed2Go and enjoyed it greatly, learned a lot and it did what I wanted it to - introduced me to a subject I was curious about and helped me decide if I wanted to seriously study in the field.

I, too, was annoyed to see the listings as if they were offered and backed by the local colleges when they weren't. I totally understand your point that it could hurt your school's reputation, but remember that it can also be a way to persuade a student to take classes at your school once they've tried it out at Ed2Go.
Anonymous said…
I am 50 years old, gainfully employed with a master's in business administration and a bachelor's in advertising. I've been looking for an online continuing education option just to brush up on my web and computer skills and keep up with technology. I found Ed2Go through my local community college, and think it's just what I'm looking for. But this blog made me wonder if there was a price differential for Ed2Go courses at various colleges. The answer is a resounding yes. My local CC wants $104 per course while a college 50 miles from here charges $114. A small college in the next county charges just $99 per course. Guess which college I'm gonna register with?
Anonymous said…
I was looking up compensation for ed2go teachers, and ended up on your blog. I just wanted to toss in my thoughts on this: it seems shady, and a little like teacher slave labor. The site asks teachers to develop courses, then spend 10 hours a week teaching them. It explains that you can have up to 100 students per course, where other schools only allow you 15-20, and where other schools might require more time spent teaching.

But, they get shady when it comes to how much you earn for those 100 seats in your course, saying you get paid "royalties" and "our best advice is "don't quit your day job."

But basic math makes this seem shady. A one month course seating 100 people and charging them $100 a person to take it would bring in $10,000 to Ed2Go. If they can't pay people teaching that course enough in a month for them to quit their day job (most teachers make $2,000-$3,000 a month), then they must be pocketing just about all of it.

It's got to be a little like printing money, and absolutely no way to keep well-educated and talented teachers.
Anonymous said…
I applaud any school that expands the opportunity for people to enrich their knowledge base. I take technology classes for personal growth and like the instructor/student relationship in the Ed2go program. I have a BS from a very well respected university where class sizes were in the hundreds. With all the social and economic issues we are experiencing just how high on the food chain is the dilution of your school's reputation?
Anonymous said…
I am a Career Tech Ed advisor at an Adult Education site (Hayward Adult School) in Northern California. We also partner with ed2go, and anyone may access it through our website. It specifically states on our website that ed2go courses are NOT part of our regular curriculum, do not lead to Hayward Adult School certificates, or result in credit towards program certificates. However, the classes are definitely a benefit to our small program as I can refer students to access the site for classes we do not have. They can learn specific skills (quickbooks for payroll, for example) or get an overview of a class they may take for credit later (introduction to Medical Terminology). I'm not sure it's the greatest way to learn, but many students are repeat customers so it is obviously meeting some needs. As far as not being able to pay online, that is absolutely untrue. Once you find the listing for the course you want, you click 'enroll', which leads you to a credit card payment page. As an advisor and instructor myself,I am clear about the difference between these and a well-taught, teacher-led, real-time interactive course, however I don't see them really competing with college or higher ed, it is the University of Phoenix and other similar that do that.
Paik-Leong Ewe said…
I am a foreigner seeking non-credit writing courses from US universities, and I am disappointed a few accredited institutions have tie-ins with Ed2go in their Continuuing Education/Independent Study division. The quality of instruction by Ed2go is NOT the issue but the manner the courses are offered is misleading. Prospective students who don't do indepth "prowling" of the school's website will be under the false belief that the courses are offered and taught by the faculty of the universities -- and at one point in time, I, too, was misled. My respect for these institutions has dropped a notch no thanks to their alliance with Ed2Go. Why are they allowing Ed2Go to market courses under the universitiy's banner?
Anonymous said…
My university appears to have just recently sold out to Ed2go and they teach a number of courses that are in direct conflict with some we offer officially even though there is supposed to be a university wide policy against this kind of conflict. None of the deans or other administrators that I have spoken to were aware of the existence of these courses or even the Ed2go relationship. Those of you who claim that there must be vetting or a reasonable approval system do not understand the current economic climate at some of our schools. I agree with a previous post suggesting it is the schools to blame. If these schools were not willing to sell their brand these kinds of relationships would not be possible. I think it raises a number of questions: If they are willing to sell this, where will they stop? If Ed2go courses are of such high quality why do they have to disguise themselves within our schools' brands? I have no problem with a private company selling continuing education courses online, but is it at all honest to pretend to be part of another institution?
EWE PAIK LEONG said…
Let me elaborate further on my earlier comment. There are a few universities that are open and explicit about their tie-ins with ED2go. A good example is University of New Mexico where ed2go logos appear on all course listings. If the marketing is done in this manner, there's nothing wrong with associating with ed2go. But, I have come across a few schools that don't even mention ed2go on their web pages, and worse, not even on the enrolment form. I think this is an unethical way to sell ed2go courses.
Anonymous said…
These classes are HORRIBLE! Not worth the money or time or energy. STAY AWAY!

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